The path forward for xAI includes four areas: Grok, Coding, Imagine, and Macrohard.
See also: Elon Musk wants to send xAI employees to the Moon
Since the xAI-SpaceX merger announced last week, which combined the two companies (as well as the social networking platform X) at an estimated value of $1.25 trillion — the largest merger of all time — a group of xAI employees and two of its co-founders have abruptly left the company, writing lengthy resignation statements online.
Some have also announced that they are starting their own AI companies.
Co-founder Yuhai (Tony) Wu announced his departure from X, writing that it was “time for the next chapter.” Jimmy Ba, another co-founder, posted something similar later that day, saying it was “time to redefine my focus on the big picture.” The departures mean that xAI now has only half of its original 12 co-founders on staff.
See also: xAI accused of destroying evidence in antitrust case
All of this comes after changes to plans for the combined companies’ future, which Elon Musk recently announced will include “AI data centers in space” and vertical integration that includes “AI, rockets, space internet, direct-to-mobile communications, and the world’s leading real-time information and free speech platform.” Musk also reportedly talked about plans to build an AI satellite factory and a city on the moon at an internal xAI meeting.
Musk wrote on X on Wednesday that “xAI was reorganized a few days ago to improve execution speed” and claimed that the process “unfortunately required the departure of some people,” and then invited more people to apply to the company. He also posted a recording of the 45-minute internal xAI meeting that announced the changes.
See also: Elon Musk merges SpaceX with xAI
“We’re organizing the company to be more efficient at this scale,” Musk said during the meeting. He added that the company will now be organized into four main application areas: Grok Main and Voice, Coding, Imagine (image and video), and Macrohard (“which is intended to do full digital emulation of entire companies,” Musk said).
